Jail door locking and operating mechanism



July 14, 1942.

A. w. METZITER JAIL DOOR LOCKING AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed J uly 11, 1940 2 sheets-sheet l LWM Q o m\ mi v m" I O s 3 0 m5 1 o m -W\ o W T NITI July 14, 1942.

A. W. METZLER JAIL DOOR LOCKING AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed July 11, 1940 m w v m h uw fi wh Rm Kw N N mm? m n Patented July 14', 1942 UNITED ST TS TEE FFEQE JML DOGR LOCKING AND OPERATING MECHANISM Application July 11, 1940, Serial No. 344.3%?

Claims.

This invention relates to door locking and operating mechanism, and particularly to means of this character such as used for single door security with corridor doors, visitor doors and other doors in jail, prison, asylum and like institutional installations. In general, the object of my invention is to improve the entire door operating mechanism and locking means therefor so as to render the same secure and proof against unofiicial operation and against occupant or other unauthorized tampering or damage. An object is to provide improved door locking and operating mechanism, including toggle members and cam guide means, designed to unlock and open a door by one continuous movement of operating parts, and in reverse operation to close and lock the door. A further object resides in so constructing the locking means that this mechanism will be actuated to the unlocked position prior to initiation of the door opening movement and the locking means will be brought into operative relation after the door has been fully closed and wi l then be deadlocked, while the parts will be disposed to prevent unauthorized tampering or actuation of the locking means when the door is opened.

With the above and other objects in view, some of which will be apparent to those skilled in the art and others of which are inherent in the construction and association and use of the parts, my invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be set forth in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in section showing an adaptation of my invention to a sliding door, and with the door in closed and locked position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken transversely through the door casing, substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of parts of the lost motion means.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 1 to better disclose the connection and relation of the lost motion mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the door and locking means in open and unlocked positions.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line B6 of Fig. 5 to better disclose the driving connection to the pull bar,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged broken fragmentary view of details of the locking means.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

Briefly, this invention contemplates a door locking and operating mechanism for sliding doors and the like comprising, in combination, a door movable to open and to closed positions, a casing for the door carriage, means within the casing connected to impart propelling movement to the door and having lost motion relative thereto, a latch bar projecting into the casing, operating means for the latch bar also connected to the door propelling means, said latch operating means dead-locking the door in closed position, and single operating means connected to the door propelling means to impart both door propelling and lock operating movements to the mechanism.

In the present instance I have disclosed my invention in connection with and as applied to a single sliding door, such as a corridor door, visitors door, or other door, as ordinarily used in a jail, prison, asylum, or other institutional installation, and I have illustrated one form and arrangement of guard or attendant actuated operating means. However, the structure is equally adaptable to and usable with a door hingedly or otherwise mounted, and for operation by lever, fluid cylinder, motor, or other suitable power or operating or actuating means or mechanism.

As disclosed, the sliding door I is made up as a barred or grill structure, and is slidably mounted within a door opening 2 having a casing 3 above the door, and with hollow pilasters 4 and 5 at the sides thereof. A non-movable or fixed section or panel 6, preferably a grating or grill or barred structure, is here illustrated as mounted at one side within the door opening 2 in such position that the movable door l will open adjacent thereto, the movable door member being moved toward and against the hollow pilaster 4 when brought to the closed position. The door I and the section 6 can be of any desired and suitable construction, and the casing 3 and the pilaster portions 4 and 5 can be built into a wall or other closure structure in any desired manner.

Within the casing 3 I provide a door mounting trackway 1, and the casing 3 has a longitudinally extending slot 8 formed through the bottom wall thereof and with a portion of the trackway 1 overlying and somewhat spaced above this opening 8, so that a prisoner or inmate, or any other person, cannot readily insert any implement or instrumentality upwardly through the slot 8 to interfere or tamper with any parts within the casing 3. The door I has hangers 9 and I extending upwardly therefrom and angularly bent to fit around and slidably clear the trackway 1, and these hanger members are connected to a door carriage H. The door carriage II has door carrying wheels I2 and I3 rotatably mounted thereon at points spaced sufficiently apart to give proper balance for the door I, and these wheels I2 and I3 travel on the track member I. It will be appreciated that the member or section 6 is in a plane spaced slightly forwardly or rearwardly with respect to the plane of the door I, and consequently the door I can be moved to an open position in which it lies in a plane substantially parallel with and adjacent to the section 6, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the closed position of the door being shown in Figure 1.

With the above arrangement, the door I is mounted for movement to Open and closed positions, and the casing 3 above the door has therein means connected to impart propelling movement to the door. Also, the hollow pilaster 4 against which the door closes has therein latch bar means with a part thereof projecting into the casing for actuation of said latch bar means. The door I has a staple or lock extension I4 at the closing edge, and the pilaster 4 is provided with an opening I5 into which the lock extension I4 fits when the door is closed. A latch bar I6 is slidably mounted in a bearing I'I within the pilaster 4 and has the latching end thereof disposed to move down on the inner side of and substantially close the opening I5, as is shown in Fig. 5, a support or rest portion II being provided against which the latch bar I6 rests in that position where it covers the opening I5. The latch bar I6 has an extension portion I8 projecting into the casing 3, and this end of the latch bar within the casing 3 is pivotally connected to one end of a latch bar operating arm I9 swingably mounted at its other end within the casing, as by hearing 20. The latch operating arm I9 has thereon a lateral operating roller 2| adapted to be engaged by and to cooperate with parts of the means within the casing for imparting propelling movement to the door.

A rack bar 22 is here disclosed as being the propeHing means or intermediary for the door movement and for actuation of the latch bar, and the rack bar 22 is slidably mounted endwise within the casing 3 in a guideway 23. The door carriage II has an elongated slotted opening 24 extending longitudinally through a part thereof and a lost motion bracket 25 having a similar slotted opening is mounted on the door carriage II and is provided with elongated slotted openings 26 and 21 extending substantially verticall above and below the door carriage II. An operating bolt or pin 28 carried by the rack bar 22 extend through and is slidabl within the elongated opening 24, and thus, as the rack bar 22 is moved endwise within the guideway 23, lost motion is provided relatively between the rack bar and the door carriage. This lost motion is primarily intended to insure actuation of the latch parts to bring the latch bar I6 to a fully opened position prior to entrance of the lock extension I4 into the opening I5, to deadlock the latch bar in retaining engagement with the lock extension when the door is fully closed, and in reverse to release the dead-lock and move the latch bar from the locked position before opening movement of the door is commenced.

Thus, it becomes necessary that provision be made for controlling the interval of 10st motion so that the actuation of the latch bar will be properly synchronized with opening and closing movement of the door, and to this end I mount a pair of toggle links 29 and 39 swingably on the bolt or pin 28. The toggle links have at their outer ends bearing pin 3| and 32 provided with anti-friction rollers 33 fitting and movable within the slots 26 and 21 (Fig. 4). These toggle links 29 and 39 also carry anti-friction rollers 34 on extensions of the bearing pins BI and 32. A pair of cam and guide bars 35 and 36 are mounted in the casing 3 in substantially parallel opposed relation, with th working faces thereof extending substantially parallel with th trackway I, and these cam bars are so spaced that, when the rollers 34 of the toggle links 29 and 39 are disposed between them the toggle links will be swung into substantially the relation shown in Fig. 5, where the bolt or pin 28 is moved to the right hand end of the elongated slotted opening 24. In this relation, the rack bar 22 is substantially fixed and relatively immovable with respect to the door carriage I I so that movement imparted to the rack bar 22 will cause substantially direct movement of the door I, the rollers 34 being confined between the guide bars 35 and 33.

The bars 35 and 36 hav their ends toward the left curved to substantially correspond with the roller engaging faces of a cam member 31 to thus provide outwardly flared guide slot portions 38 for moving the anti-friction rollers 34 outwardly to permit lost motion and also deadlock the doorcarriage.

In the present instance, I have shown the rack bar 22 as driven by a rack gear 39 journalled within the casing 3, and this rack gear 39 is disclosed as rotated by a drive gear 49. The drive gear 40 has thereon a miter gear 4I which is meshed with a bevelled gear 42 fixed on shaft 43. It is intended that provision shall be made for operation or actuation of the door propelling and latch control means, manually, as by a guard or attendant or other operator from a location separated from the corridor to passageway or opening having the door to be controlled, and in the present instance I have shown a manually actuatable crank means 44 carried by the pilaster 5 at a point separted from the opening 2, a perhaps on th opposite side of a Wall or partition or grating, or in a guard room or ofiice or other official space separated from the corridor or passage or opening. An operating shaft is rotated by actuation of crank means 44, through the medium of miter gears 49, and motion is transmitted to shaft 43 through bevelled gears 41. With thi arrangement of door propelling means, as the crank at 44 is rotated movement will be transmitted through the shafts 45 and 43 and the bevelled and miter gearings to the rack gear 39, and as this rack gear is turned rack bar 22 will be shifted endwise in door opening and closing movement.

At its forward end the rack bar 22 carries a latch bar actuating cam 48, the structure of which is perhaps best shown in Fig. '7. During initial movement of the rack bar 22 toward the the left, or to close the door from the position shown in Fig. 5, the lost motion means, including the toggle links 29 and 33, will be rendered inoperative due to the fact'that the rollers 34 bear against the opposed straight faces of the cam bars 35 and 36, and the door will thus be propelled toward the closed position with and by the pin 28 on rack bar 22. When the door carriage II has moved toward the closed position to approach the cam member 31., the rollers 34 will move into the guide slot portions 38 in consequence of which the bearing pins 3i and 32 and the anti-friction rollers 33, carried thereby, can move outwardly within the elongated slotted openings 26 and 21 on the door carriage. Such spreading movement of the bearing pins 3| and 32 will permit movement of bolt or pin 23 within the elongated slotted opening 24 so that the rack bar 22 has relatively accelerated movement. As door I approaches closed position, and before rollers 34 enter guide slots 38, the bevelled or sloping top surface at the left hand end of cam 58 lifts roller 2| to substantially the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7 and thereby through arm I9, and rod l8 lifts latch bar It clear of slot I5. As the door continues towards closed position latch bar IB is held clear of slot I by means of roller 2I riding on top the horizontal face of cam 43, thus allowing staple It on the door I to enter slot I5. When door I is completely closed and forward motion has stopped, rollers 34 have entered guide slots 38 to the extent that they have no further horizontal motion but can move vertically in guide slots as also can rollers 33 in vertical slots 23 and 27. This vertical movement permits pin 28 to move horizontally in slot 23, and thereby permits rack 22 to have additional forward movement after forward movement of the door has ceased. This additional forward movement of rack 22 and cam 28, attached to rack 22, permits roller 2i to enter depression 49 on cam 33 to substantially the full line position shown in Fig. '7, thus allowing latch bar I3 through arm I3 and rod l3 to be lowered to engage staple M and thereby hold'the door in closed position against opening movement. dead-lock extension 5.3 is provided on the cam portion 43 adjacent to the depression 49, so that, as the operating roller 2! drops into this depression, the dead-lock extension 50 will overlie the roller, substantially as shown in Fig. 2, and the latch bar and the actuating parts therefor will be positively locked against unauthorized opening. In this position, rollers 34 and 33 also deadlock the carriage, being confined by the vertical ends of cam slots 38 and the slots and 21 respectively.

The cam member 48 must be stopped in its lost motion movement with the dead-lock extension 53 in the dead-locking position, and to accomplish this purpose I provide within the casing 3 a stop 5i which is preferably made adjustable by mounting securing bolts 52 through slotted openings therein. This stop 51 also prevents rack 22 from being lifted upward out of guide 23 were it possible to apply a lifting motion to latch bar I5. It is also preferable that means beprovided for stopping opening movement of the door, and this can be accomplished through an adjustable stop member 53 mounted on an extension of the door hanger IE] and adapted to engage with bumper 54.

Assuming the door to be in the closed position, as illustrated in Figure 1, manipulation of the manually actuatable crank means 44 to rotate rack gear 33 in counter-clockwise direction will cause rack bar 22 to be moved toward the right, and the cam portion 38 will be correspondingly moved to carry dead-lock 50 away from the operating extension or roller 2i, and, subsequently, this extension or roller will ride up out of the cam depression 49 so that the latch bar I6 will be raised to a position of disengagement from the lock extension or staple i l, and thus the dead-lock and the latch will be released, leaving the door I free for opening movement the rollers 34 having been retracted from the vertical portions of cam slots 33. This movement of the rack 22 will cause the bolt or pin 28 to travel freely to the right within the elongated slotted opening 24, and the toggle links 29 and 30 will be collapsed so that pins 3| and 32 carried thereby will travel horizontally and be prevented from having vertical motion by means of rollers 33 engaging opposed faces of cam bars 35 and 36 and rollers 33 resting in the bottom and top of slots 26 and 21, respectively, and with the lost motion means in this position the door carriage II will be moved within the casing 3 to the right so that door I will be opened. Thus, it will be seen that no door opening movement can be imparted by the operating mechanism until the rollers 32 and 3-3 are withdrawn from the vertical portions of the slots 38. As the latch bar actuating cam 33 travels beyond and away from the operating extension or roller 2!, the latch operating arm I9 will swing down to permit latch bar I3 to drop to the position shown in Fig. 5, where this latch bar is disposed within the pilaster over and in position to close the opening I5. Consequently, since the opening is closed no person can obtain access to or tamper with any parts within the pilaster 3. Since the trackway I substantially overhangs the slot 8 in the casing 3, it will not be possible for a prisoner or inmate or any other person to obtain access to or tamper with any of the operating parts within the casing 3.

As stated, the present disclosure has been confined to illustration of my invention embodied with a sliding door, and the manually actuatable crank is the only shown type of operating means; but, it is to be understood that this invention is adaptable to swinging doors, and in fact to various types of doors such as might be used in jail and institutional installations, and that the door propelling means may be operated by lever, fluid cylinder, motor, or other power or operating or actuating means or mechanism. Further, such operating or actuating means can include selector mechanism located at a common point for operating one or more door carriages or door propelling means of a plurality of doors.

While I have herein shown and described only certain specific embodiments of my invention and have suggested only certain possible modifications, it will be appreciated that many changes can be made in the form and construction and installation of the parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A jail door locking and operating mechanism comprising, in combination, a sliding door movable to open and closed positions; a casing above the door; a door carriage in the casing; meanswithin the casing connected to impart propelling movement to the door carriage and having lost motion relative thereto only when the door is in closed position; stationary guide members in the casing having horizontal portions terminating in curved, upright portions; vertical slotted portions on the carriage adapted to. register with the upright portions of the guide members when the door is closed; toggle members on the door propelling means having rollers coacting with said guide members and said slotted portions, a latch bar projecting into the casing; operating means for the latch bar also connected to the door propelling means; means on said propelling means deadlocking the latch bar when the door is in closed position; and single operating means connected to the propelling means to impart both door propelling and lock operating movements to the mechanism.

2. A jail door locking and operating mechanism comprising in combination, a sliding door movable to open and closed positions; a casing above the door; a door carriage in the casing; means within the casing connected to impart propelling movement to the door carriage and having lost motion relative thereto only when the door is in closed position; a latch bar projecting into the casing; operating means for the latch bar also connected to the propelling means; single operating means connected to the propelling means to impart both door propelling and lock operating movements to the mechanism; and coopcrating means carried by the propelling means, the carriage and the casing to deadlock the carriage in door closed position due to the lost motion.

3. A jail door locking and operating mechanism comprising in combination, a sliding door movable to open and closed positions; a casing above the door; a door carriage in the casing; means within said casing connected to impart propelling movement to the door carriage and having lost motion relative thereto only when the door is in closed position; a latch bar projecting into the casing; operating means for the latch bar also connected to the propelling means; means cooperating with said propelling means connected to deadlock the latch bar in door-closed position; cooperating means caried by the propelling means, the carriage and the casing to deadlock the carriage in door closed position due to the lost motion; and remote operated means connected to the propelling means to impart both door propelling and lock operating movements to the mechanism.

1-. A jail door locking and operating mechanism comprising in combination, a door frame structure having a hollow stile at one side and provided with a casing above the opening thereof; a door slidably movable to open and closed positions and closing against said hollow stile; a door carriage in the casing; a locking extension on the closing edge of the door; said hollow stile being provided with an opening receiving the locking extension; a latch bar slidably mounted in the hollow stile movable to positions to engage and clear the locking extension when within the opening and to another position to close said opening when the locking extension is absent therefrom; propelling means within the casing connected to move said door carriage to open and to closed positions and having lost motion relative thereto only when the door is in closed position; operating means for the latch bar connected to and actuated by said door propelling means; single operating means connected to the door propelling means to impart both door propelling and latch operating movement to the mechanism; fixed cam members in the casing; slotted members on the door carriage adapted to register with the fixed cam members when the door is closed; and toggle members on the door propelling means having rollers coacting with said fixed cam members and said slotted mem- 5. A jail door locking and operating mechanism comprising in combination, a sliding door movable to open and closed positions; a casing above the door; a door carriage in the casing; means within the casing connected to impart propelling movement to the door carriage and having lost motion relative thereto only when the door is in closed position; a latch bar projecting into the casing; operating means for the latch bar also connected to the propelling means; fixed cam members in the casing; slotted members on the door carriage adapted to register with the fixed cam members when the door is closed; and toggle members on the door propelling means having rollers coacting with said fixed cam and said slotted member.

ARTHUR W. METZLER. 

